Abstract

Background: It has been observed that anemia during pregnancy represents one of the primary obstetric causes of maternal deaths in developing countries like India. It results in appalling fetal and maternal health consequences. A significant number of studies have been conducted on the prevalence of anemia during pregnancy in India, but the finding that was reported has been variable. Therefore, this review was planned to compile the findings conducted in different parts of the country and sum up the national level of anemia amongst pregnant women in India in the past 5 years.

Aim and Objectives: To do a systematic review of the prevalence of anemia during pregnancy in India from published studies from 2017 to 2021 and to find common causes of increased prevalence of anemia in different regions of India.

Materials and Methods: This systematic review was done under the guidelines established by PRISMA – “Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.” The databases used were PUBMED, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. The following terms were used for search – anemia, pregnancy related anemia, anemia in India, State name, and anemia. Critical appraisal of every study was done using the instrument – Joanna Briggs Institute Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument. The pooled regression was computed to present the pooled prevalence with 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results: Thirty-one studies were chosen to be studies in the review with a total of 93,324 pregnant women. The pooled prevalence of anemia in the entire country was calculated among pregnant women in India was 51% (95% CI: [46.1–53.2]). Based on this result of the pooled prevalence, an analysis with subgroups was done which showed, the lowest prevalence of anemia among pregnant women was observed in Andhra Pradesh, 11.6% (95% CI [8.92, 19.96]) and the highest prevalence was in Uttar Pradesh, 92% (95% CI [89.76, 97.84]).

Conclusion: A little more than 50% of pregnant women in India are anemic. Association was observed between anemia during pregnancy and rural dwelling, age of the pregnant women, education level of the women and their socio-economic status. States and areas with higher prevalence of anemia among pregnant women should be focused more and given importance. The concerned government organizations and NGOs should intervene on the detected factors to reduce the high prevalence of anemia among pregnant women. Women should also be educated on the causes and effects of anemia.

Key words: Prevalence of Anemia; Anemia During Pregnancy; India; Meta-analysis; Systematic Review